David - Bake Me Im Yours... Christmas

contents

PROJECTS

introduction

Whether youre looking for quick treats for guests, delicious desserts for Christmas dinner or cute edible decorations for your tree, theres something to suit every taste. These tempting projects are sure to delight friends and family during the festive season.

Festive Favourites shows you how to create impressive cakes to feed the whole family. Tasty Treats explores an array of scrumptious cakes and cookies, which make perfect party food. Delicious Decorations showcases a range of creations that will make fabulous trimmings for your table or tree. Finally, Perfect Presents features a range of edible gifts that will delight all who receive them!

There are various festive recipes to treat yourself and your family, from traditional fruit cake and spicy gingerbread to indulgent chocolate brownies and wonderfully rich truffles. The techniques section includes everything you need to know to bake and decorate your creations with different icings, pastes and embellishments.

The possibilities are endless, so be inspired to design your own wonderful cakes, cupcakes, cookies and chocolates. What are you waiting for go on and enjoy creating your Christmas bakes!

tools and equipment

Before you begin to bake you will need to ensure that you have the right equipment to hand. It is worth familiarizing yourself with them and getting to grips with the basic recipes and techniques first, so that you can easily achieve results to impress your friends and family.

baking equipment

baking trays and tins

cooling racks

cupcake cases

cutters

food mixer or hand-held mixer

food processor or hand-held whisk

greaseproof paper

measuring spoons and jug

mixing bowl

rolling pin

sieve

spatula

kitchen scales

decorating equipment

chocolate moulds for tempered chocolate

craft knife for intricate cutting tasks

cutters for embossing and cutting paste

paintbrushes a range of sizes used for stippling, painting and dusting

paint palette for mixing paste colours and dusts prior to painting

palette knife for cutting paste and spreading buttercream

piping tubes (tips) for piping royal icing and cutting out small circles

disposable piping (pastry) bags

rolling pin non-stick and textured

scissors for cutting transfer sheets to size

spacers to achieve an even thickness when rolling out paste

non-stick board for rolling out pastes

Dresden tool for creating marks on paste

cutting wheel used instead of a knife to avoid dragging the paste

quilting tool used to add stitching lines to paste

smoother to create a smooth, even finish when covering cakes with paste

sugar shaper and disc for shaping paste

Food mixing can be done by hand if you dont have an electric mixer

Festive Favourites

chocolate wreath

This rich chocolate cake makes a decadent alternative to a traditional fruit cake. Decorated with chocolate holly leaves, berries, cinnamon sticks and Christmas roses, it is sure to bring out the festive spirit in everyone! The gold organza ribbon and red holly berries add extra sparkle to this sumptuous festive treat. You can adapt the wreath design or make a simpler version just using holly leaves.

Beautiful roses made from white chocolate paste are combined with dark chocolate holly leaves and cigarillos to create a stylish, contemporary wreath.